A Single Shard

Author: Linda Sue Park
Publisher: Yearling
Copyright: 2001
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 192
Reading Level: Age 10 (Barnes and Noble)
Summary: This is the story of Tree-Ear who lives under the bridge with Crane-Man. Tree-Ear is an orphan who has been taken in by Tree-man who teaches him many lessons, among which is being honest. Tree-ear likes to watch one of the village potters as he works. The man, Min, is an expert potter. One day, Tree-ear sneaks into Min's shop and accidentally breaks one of his pieces as he is admiring it. He tells Min that he will repay him by working of the debt. Min finally agrees and Tree-ear works for him, collecting wood for the community kiln, collecting clay and refining the clay. Min's wife provides a meal for Tree-ear each day and the boy decides to start saving half of it for his friend Crane-man. He finds a hiding place to stash it and one day when he returns he finds his bowl has been refilled. Each day from then on, he returns home to the bridge with a full bowl of food. The reader realizes that it is Min's wife who has been showing him this kindness. When word comes out that an advisor to the emperor will be coming to choose a potter to give a royal commission to, Tree-ear knows that Min should get it because he is the best Master potter. Although Min is not exactly nice to Tree-ear, the boy wants to help Min get the commission. When he spies on another potter trying out a new technique of inlay work Tree-ear wants to tell his master but with the help of Crane -man decides it would not be honest to tell his master about it until it has been exposed to the people. When the royal advisor comes, he likes the work of Min and the other potter, Kang but knows that Kangs work is not really as good but can't ignore his new technique. He promises to return and see their work one more time before choosing but Min's pieces in which he did inlay work are blemished during the firing process and he breaks them and tells the advisor he has nothing to show. The advisor tells him he has given a temporary commission to Kang but that if he can bring a piece with inlay work to the palace he will offer Min the real commission. Min says he is too old to make the journey but Tree-ear says that he will go. So Min makes two beautiful pots and Tree-ear sets out on the journey. When he stops at a particular place on his journey some robbers attack him and they break the pots. Tree-ear is devastated and feels like a complete failure. He picks up a single shard of one of the pots and decides to take it to show the advisor his master's work anyway. He goes to the palace, eventually gets in to talk to the advisor and the advisor decides to give Min the commission based on the expert work of just the single shard. In the end, Crane-man dies and Tree-ear goes to live with Min and his wife who had lost a son, years ago. Tree-ear eventually learns his long desired skill of pottery and also becomes an expert potter.
Who would you recommend this book to? I would recommend this book to any older kids. It's a great book for learning about a different culture as well as a little piece of that cultures history.
Potential problems or conflicts: I don't see any potential problems or conflicts with this book.
My reaction: I liked this book. It's a little slow moving but it has some really good messages and it's interesting.